When all the other racers began to fall behind and get discouraged, Kelly's mettle and determination kept her in the lead.

Are you a word wiz?

Which sentence below uses "mettle" correctly?

A. Kendra did not mettle in other people's affairs.

B. The blacksmith forged strong mettle for the sword.

C. Never was a hero of finer and nobler mettle seen.

D. For his bravery, Javier was awarded a large gold mettle.

You win a medal if you identified C as the correct answer. "Mettle," "metal," "meddle," and "medal" all sound almost the same, but they are spelled differently and mean different things. "Metal" describes a hard substance often forged or cast into different things (like swords). A "medal" is a small medallion often given as an award. And when you "meddle" in someone's affairs, you are interfering in them. To keep these words straight, remember this sentence, which lists them in alphabetical order: "She won a medal for refusing to meddle with the blacksmith's metal, and so showed her mettle."